Today was one that really hit home with me as Autism strikes in our family and I have many friends who deal with the constant struggle which becomes their “new normal.”

A dear friend from college told us about a local Kansas City boy who was beaten by his classmates for simply being different.  That’s it.  He was beaten so badly he was hospitalized.  Heart-breaking.  Infuriating thoughts consumed my mind.  But what could we do?

We could send him a note with a hand written letter and my pals can draw some pictures for them.  We also picked out some special stickers and some fruit snacks to send along.

The lesson my kids got today was just this:  just because someone is different, the deserve the same love and respect that you give your mom and dad.  We talked about how sometimes different is better.  But the bottom line is treat everyone the same – with love and respect.  If they give you a reason not to, then come to me (mom) and we will figure out how to handle the situation.  Handling bullies can be hard enough so sometimes you need an adult to step in.

We didn’t know the poor boy, Blake, who got beaten but we thought he deserved a note from someone he had never met so he knew people from all over the country are thinking about him.

Eden thought he needed Prince Charming and L.A. thought it was Darth Vader for sure.  We wrote the letter together.  My kids learned another lesson in kindness and I got to be proud.  Nothing better than your insides smiling because you are on your way to making someone’s day. But watching your kids enjoy do something for someone else and expecting nothing in return really is priceless.